OPINION: Time for a campaign stupidity statute of limitations

By Mark Scheinbaum

MIAMI (Oct. 21, 2016)—If you blatantly, recklessly, cruelly, and certainly repeatedly break the law you should be prosecuted and perhaps go to jail.

If your sins of good manners, civility, stupidity, crudeness, misdemeanors and mistakes fall short of prosecution, move on.

This is my message to the uptight and often hypocritical electorate and media of the United States.

Learn something from countries that are managed fairly well where no one gives a damn if a candidate smoked pot, allegedly touched someone’s genitals, or wanted their own emails or Facebook page away from the office.

If touching means sexual assault and it is proven, you go to jail.

If a desire for privacy means state secrets threatened the nation and were made public, or bribes were consummated away from your official email address, indict that person and put them in jail.

Do you get it?

I am not saying criminals should go scot-free.

I am saying if all the innuendo, allegation, and investigations are serious enough to be confirmed by the courts, you are disqualified.

Yes, I know, there are crooked prosecutors. Well, the same thing goes for them. Allegations proven to be true showing influence peddling by officials and prosecutors should put them in jail also.

So let’s say in the year 2016 we had a campaign statute of limitations. I am not an attorney and do not play one on TV. But I believe most states have a four or six year limit on civil and some criminal prosecutions.

Also, I think in most jurisdictions there is no statute of limitations on special heinous crimes such as murder, rape, kidnapping, child abuse etc.

Absent these capital offenses intelligent voters should declare, “Anything older than a decade  which did not lead to conviction after investigation and prosecution should not influence my vote very much.”

In fact, let’s push it a bit further:  let us assume that every candidate tried drugs, had an extra marital affair, said or did something sexist, laughed at a racist or ethnic joke, and stole the small bottle of body lotion, shampoo and conditioner from the Doubletree in Denver. OK?

With all of this pushed aside, and a discussion of  who makes a good Supreme Court Associate Justice, or should NAFTA be replaced by a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, we can move the USA’s reputation domestically and around the world up a few levels from the current gutter debates.

Former UPI Newsman Mark Scheinbaum, is a political scientist who is managing director of Shearson Financial LLC in Boca Raton. His opinions are his own.